This novel is a very philosophical tale of one man's journey through both his own life and the search for life itself, beyond Earth.Weirdly, this is one of the few novels which could have been improved by making it LESS concise. While the overall theme of the book is carried through the various segments, some of them are just too short for the stories they tell, and it becomes frustrating to never get back to those. Overall, some parts reminded me of the parts I didn't like in 2001, A Space OdysThis novel is a very philosophical tale of one man's journey through both his own life and the search for life itself, beyond Earth.Weirdly, this is one of the few novels which could have been improved by making it LESS concise. While the overall theme of the book is carried through the various segments, some of them are just too short for the stories they tell, and it becomes frustrating to never get back to those. Overall, some parts reminded me of the parts I didn't like in 2001, A Space Odyssey. Others were a fascinating study in the boundaries of what forms life might take, if you think sufficiently outside the box. I found the ending to be annoying, but that was a matter of personal taste....more

A very difficult book to review, because even though the entire thing orbits around one protagonist, it's really three different books. In order: a pretty bad short story, a pretty decent novella, and a really good novel. The short novel that is the final 2/3 of the book starts off erratic, with Benford throwing half a dozen hard sci fi ideas at the wall, but coalesces into a surprisingly moving coda. When Benford is at his best he manages to combine his theoretical astrophysicist's imaginationA very difficult book to review, because even though the entire thing orbits around one protagonist, it's really three different books. In order: a pretty bad short story, a pretty decent novella, and a really good novel. The short novel that is the final 2/3 of the book starts off erratic, with Benford throwing half a dozen hard sci fi ideas at the wall, but coalesces into a surprisingly moving coda. When Benford is at his best he manages to combine his theoretical astrophysicist's imagination with really good (and clearly Faulkner-tinged) prose. This one takes a while but delivers....more

A pretty good book from Mr. Benford, but a bit disjointed.What if you were visited by aliens that revered the stars as gods? Aliens that could hear what the stars had to tell them...Certainly an interesting premise.

Gregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.

As a science fiction author, Benford is best known for the Galactic Center Saga novels, beginning with In the Ocean of Night (1977). This series postulates a galaxy in which sentient organic life is in constant warfare witGregory Benford is an American science fiction author and astrophysicist who is on the faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.

As a science fiction author, Benford is best known for the Galactic Center Saga novels, beginning with In the Ocean of Night (1977). This series postulates a galaxy in which sentient organic life is in constant warfare with sentient mechanical life....more